Grand Bahama teachers, like their colleagues in New Providence, are on “work-to-rule” after receiving word from Bahamas Union of Teachers leaders about the government’s latest salary offer.
Approximately 100-plus teachers showed up to a special meeting called on Thursday morning at BUT headquarters, where union president Ida Poitier-Turnquest updated Grand Bahama teachers on the state of the union’s negotiations with the government.
Government negotiators insist that the 1965 Recognition Agreement only provides for the government to negotiate wages. On Monday the government forwarded a proposal covering wages to the BUT, but that offer was rejected by the union.
Mrs. Poitier-Turnquest wants the government to negotiate the full range of industrial provisions, inclusive of salaries.
“The government again is being deceitful and not playing fair. They’re not [acting] in good faith. They were supposed to present a new counter proposal but they only gave a wage proposal, stating that our recognition agreement only allows us to bargain for salaries, but that is not true,” she said.
“The recognition agreement allows us to bargain for all of our members for remuneration, tenure, service of condition and or allied matters and that is stated in the document, which they have accepted in its entirety.”
Mrs. Poitier-Turnquest said union members will be at the negotiation table and are expecting to negotiate based on the union’s proposal.
“We will be negotiating from our collective bargaining agreement. They have not presented us with a counter proposal, so we can only assume from their part that they will be using our collective bargaining agreement, and that is what we will be working with. We will not be working from the piece of paper they have sent us on the wage proposal,” she said.
The government is proposing a five-year contract, retroactive to July 1, 2005. The government is also proposing a lump sum payment of $700 for members of the B.U.T., which would be paid out within two weeks of the signing of the agreement.
The government would also give each teacher $100 to their base salary, retroactive to January 1, 2006. In July 2006, another $50 would be added to the base pay. An additional $62.50 would be added per month beginning July 1, 2008. The government also wants to implement a high performance evaluation system, which would allow for raises based on performance levels.
But union officials have said repeatedly that under no circumstances would they accept a merit pay system.
Meantime, the B.U.T. is demanding a $4,000 lump sum payment for each teacher, to be made in two installments of $2,000. The union is also asking for a $12,000 raise for each teacher, which would cover the period January 2006 to June 2008.
In a recent statement to the press, Fred Mitchell, the minister responsible for the public service, assured that the government was working to bring conclusion to the dispute with the teachers’ union.
In a recent statement, government said, “The presentation of the salary proposal is in keeping with the government’s commitment to negotiate in good faith-The legal advice received by the government has confirmed that the 1965 contract between the government and B.U.T. titled a recognition agreement only affords the BUT the right to an agreement limited to salaries.”
The government has also withdrawn its demand for separate bargaining units.
In spite of an “average” attendance by teachers in a 600-plus union membership, Mrs. Poitier-Turnquest said she was pleased with the group that turned up yesterday.
By: Courtnee Romer, The Bahama Journal
